PWD, Army Corps, and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation reconfigured 1,300 feet of stream channel and constructed 750 feet of new channel. Through this new and reconfigured stream, Indian Creek now flows freely for the first time since it was capped in 1928, in part to make room for homes that were never built on the site.

The team also reconfigured the existing culvert, which will serve as a 180,000 gallon stormwater storage tank. In total, the project is expected to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) from the C-05 outfall from 24 to three annually and to reduce the discharge volume from 2.9 million gallons to 1.2 million gallons per year.

Now, not only does the community have access to a the waterway, the creek will also help curb water pollution in the Cobbs Creek Watershed and to protect the city’s drinking water supply.

The $4.5 million, Congressionally funded project is part of the City’s Green City, Clean Waters program and is the first Philadelphia creek daylighting.

In the case of Indian Creek, the fact that it is in Morris Park and thus surrounded by ample open space and that it had an existing culvert that could be used for stormwater management, made it a prime daylighting candidate. PWD Watershed Partnerships Coordinator Christopher Anderson said in other parts of the city it is rare to find capped creeks in open, park areas, since as the city grew, streets and homes were often built over these sewers.

“Unfortunately there are not a lof these projects within the city,” Anderson said via email. “PWD is investigating other locations where stream daylighting can be accomplished, but currently we have not identified any other sites.”

During stream channel reconfiguration, Photo courtesy of PWD

During restoration and reconfiguration, Photo courtesy of PWD

The reconfigured and reconstructed west branch of Indian Creek, Photo courtesy of PWD

About the author

Christine Fisher, Transportation reporter

From 2012-2014 Christine covered transportation, writing about everything from pedestrian concerns to bicycle infrastructure, bridges, trail networks, public transit and more. Her favorite assignments sent her bushwhacking through Philadelphia’s yet-to-be-cleared bike trails, catching a glimpse of SEPTA’s inner workings or pounding the pavement to find out what pedestrians really think. Christine also covered community news for Eyes on the Street, where her work ranged from food sovereignty to public art and urban greening. She first joined PlanPhilly in fall 2011 as an intern through a partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods website.